The New 52: Futures End #9 Review

In space, no one can hear you amputate Hawkman's arm.

The nice thing about reviewing this series is that so much can change from week to week. There have been some pretty lousy chapters of Futures End so far, but also some solid ones. And issue #9 definitely falls into the latter category. As Month 3 gets underway, we're starting to see more progress on a number of fronts. Slowly but surely, this lumbering ship seems to be moving in a tangible direction.

Certainly, it doesn't hurt that Patrick Zircher returns to illustrate another chapter. Zircher kicked off Futures End in style with the first issue, setting a standard of storytelling and dramatic presentation that's been difficult for this book to meet since. The settings in this issue vary from tropical islands to dank barrooms to cold space stations, but Zircher ties it all together into a cohesive whole.

In terms of story, this issue strikes a nice balance between pushing the plot forward and having fun with the characters. Futures End could almost be compared to Original Sin in how it mixes and matches established favorites in new and sometimes bizarre combinations. Seeing Deathstroke paired with an underage but very bloodthirsty partner is fun. Even more fun are the scenes involving S.H.A.D.E. agents Ray Palmer, Frankenstein, and Amethyst in space. There's just something grotesquely comical about the idea of Palmer sewing the dead Hawkman's arm onto Frankenstein's body, only to have Hawkman turn out to not be so dead after all.

There are some satisfying reveals and teases to be had here. Terry McGinnis finally shows up again and moves closer to a good, old-fashioned Batman and Robin team-up. meanwhile, there's a cool twist early on that sheds far more light on the fallout of the Earth-1/Earth-2 war everyone keeps alluding to. Suddenly, I find myself that much more interested in reading Earth 2: Worlds End thanks to this issue.